Inclusion & Diversity

True innovation requires people who are brave enough to ask big questions and offer truly unique perspectives. Diversity of opinion and knowledge are key to the scientific method, and are therefore key to the way we hire. The more welcoming Monsanto becomes, the more opportunities we have to better serve farmers as they steward the land.

News|
February 26, 2016 |Read Time: 2 minutes

Information on the German Report on Glyphosate in Beer

A report from Germany from the Environmental Institute on Thursday said it detected glyphosate in 14 German beers. Here’s Monsanto’s perspective regarding this report:

Glyphosate is an herbicide with a 40-year history of safe use. Glyphosate is approved for use on barley, hops and other grains in Europe. It is also approved for use in the United States and Canada. Farmers use glyphosate to control weeds in their fields.

There are strict government regulations to keep our food safe. In grain crops, such as barley, corn and wheat, there are limits in place to regulate the use of all pesticides, including glyphosate.

It is possible that traces of glyphosate can be found in some products, such as beer. However, consumers can be assured that these levels are extremely low.

Based on the residue levels in this report, for instance, a person would need to drink 3,000 beers in one day for levels of glyphosate near the European regulatory authority’s maximum daily limit for glyphosate.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has issued a statement responding to this study, in which they reiterate that there is no potential health risk from glyphosate residues at this level. In addition, the analytical method used in this study has been exploited previously and shown not to be reliable, as in the recent claims about glyphosate residues in breast milk.

We take claims about glyphosate safety very seriously. When we learn of reports such as this one, we review the report carefully and work with government agencies and third parties to review the data.